To enhance road safety, Fort Collins is setting up "speed corridors" as part of the Automated Vehicle Identification Systems (AVIS) update, adhering to recent changes brought forth by Colorado law which permit broader use of photo/radar enforcement tools, according to the city's official news release. Data underpinning the move to establish these corridors pinpoint areas with historically high incidents of traffic violations, specifically speeding, careless, and reckless driving, which all play a villain in most injury and fatal crashes within the city limits.
These corridors, selected through a meticulous look at the past three years of crash data, aim to beckon a safer commuting environment, and the expansion of photo/radar enforcement is in line with Fort Collins’s Vision Zero goal to wipe the slate of fatal or serious-injury crashes clean, as stated by the City of Fort Collins. The enforcement in these corridors happens when a vehicle oversteps the speed limit, the system captures an image of the offense and sends a citation to the registered vehicle owner, essentially functioning like a virtual extension of Fort Collins Police.
Some community members have questioned if the program's true motive is to generate revenue, yet the city maintains that its heart beats only for road safety, not financial gain, explaining that any funds that stream from the AVIS program will be channeled back into traffic safety initiatives. Transparency seekers can satisfy their curiosities by diving into citation data and revenue details, which will grace the pages of the Fort Collins Municipal Court website faithfully.
With the blessing of the City Council and other municipal entities, the updated City ordinances will unfurl 30 days poised to inform the public about these new speed corridors, followed by a 30-day warning phase before actual citations come into play. Fort Collins Police Chief, Jeff Swoboda said, “This is just one of the tools available to help create safer roads for everyone,” emphasizing the city's dedication to plowing the path for safer streets through both traditional and inventive methods as per the City of Fort Collins.
